Diligence is everything with a used car history. HPI’s guide explains how buyers can uncover them.

A physical inspection will tell you a lot about a used car’s history – but it won’t tell you everything. Even what appears to be a pristine example can have a less-than-perfect back story, which could include elements that dent its value or worse.

Used car histories are open books if you know where to look, though, and a few straightforward checks can clearly illustrate a vehicle’s past.   

hpi’s guide explains what to check, how to check it and how to get the best out of the information at hand. 

The basics

They might be obvious, but the basics matter, and they are the best place to start. Check the car’s service history, MOT history, mileage, and number of owners. Do they match the advertisement and/or what the seller is saying? 

An MOT check is worthwhile because each test records the mileage, which is an important first step in ensuring the vehicle’s mileage hasn’t been altered. This helps to verify the car’s history, illustrates at least some of its mechanical past (whether it passed the first time, needed repairs, or had any advisories), and shows how regularly previous owners tested it. Additional checks can be made to check the accuracy of the stated mileage.

Accident history

It is the seller’s responsibility to tell potential buyers if a vehicle has been involved in an accident, and if it has, there should be documentary evidence.

That obligation doesn’t extend to telling buyers about kerbing a wheel or scuffing a bumper against the garden fence (although a transparent service history detailing such incidents and repairs is good), but rather if the car was involved in a significant accident on the public highway and damaged to the point where its safety could be compromised.

The severity of the accident determines whether a vehicle can be repaired to roadworthy standard, and if it has been categorised A or B by insurance assessors, it can’t be. Those letters mean it is a write-off – also known as a total loss – and cannot legally be repaired to a safe standard.

Cars marked S or N have lighter damage and can be repaired. Insurers still class them as write-offs or total losses because they are not considered economical to repair, but they were involved in lower-level accidents and can be used on public roads again, providing they are safely repaired by a qualified engineer.

Outstanding finance

The seller is also responsible for settling any outstanding finance on the car before it is sold. For example, if they bought it with a finance package from a dealer, that must be paid off before they sell it.

Even if you bought the vehicle in good faith, if the finance hasn’t been settled, then the lender could repossess it, meaning you could lose the car and the money you paid.

Ask the seller if they bought the car with finance, when they paid it off, and if they have documents to support their claim. 

Stolen and recovered – or not?

Once again, the seller must declare if a vehicle was stolen and recovered. Assuming a stolen vehicle was safely retrieved by the authorities and wasn’t damaged in the process (or if it was, it was well repaired), and the seller is clear and honest, there should be nothing wrong with it. However, as with accident damage, a theft can negatively affect a car’s value, so would-be buyers have a right to know its history.

Worse, you really don’t want to buy a car that has been recently stolen, so always query rock-bottom prices that seem too good to be true and pause for thought if there’s pressure for a quick sale. 

Keep an eye out for signs of break-ins – forced damage to locks, door handles, windows boots and any other entry points – and check the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) to make sure they match. These are often found under the bonnet, behind the front doors and sometimes in the footwells. 

HPI Check: the one-stop shop for car history checks

A HPI Check will shine a light on all the above and more. It checks multiple sources of information from the DVLA, the police, the National Mileage Register, insurance and finance providers and other industry bodies to generate a clear and definitive history about any motorised vehicle, including cars, vans and motorcycles.

Unscrupulous sellers or owners may seek to alter a vehicle’s mileage through clocking or blocking technology to increase its value. An HPI Check uses data from the National Mileage Register and many other sources to better understand a vehicle’s history. 

A HPI Check will tell you:

• If a vehicle has outstanding finance
• If it has been recorded as stolen
• If it is an insurance write-off
• The number of previous owners
• If it has been recorded as scrapped by the DVLA
• If the logbook actually belongs to the car in question
• If there are any mileage discrepancies
• If the number plates have changed
• If it has been imported or exported
• If it is subject to a manufacturer recall

A HPI Check will also verify the VIN number, provide a guide valuation and estimated fuel costs, and include an MOT history check.

Many dealers include HPI checks as part of their used car sales, and it’s always worth asking to see the digital certificate and querying how recently the check was done. Click here to see a sample hpi check report so you know what a genuine one looks like.

If you’re buying from private sellers on eBay or Gumtree, running an HPI Check yourself is worth it. Single checks cost £19.99, and be wary of anyone offering a free check—there is no such thing.

Believe your eyes

You won’t find it in the service history, but good, old-fashioned common sense never goes amiss when you’re checking a used car.

Ask yourself: does the car’s real-world condition match its alleged history? Seeing it in the metal is the final piece of the puzzle, and – as long as you’ve done your homework – if the degree of wear and tear is commensurate with its age, mileage and documentation, then you’re likely onto a winner.

However, if it’s advertised as a low-mileage car, but its real-world condition doesn’t tally with the description, ask the seller why and, if you can, interrogate further. For all the tricks of the trade, seeing really is believing.